


A Memory of Water

by Kibs



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: F/M, Falling In Love, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Unrequited Love, breath of the wild - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:33:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24533890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kibs/pseuds/Kibs
Summary: Mipha comes to Link's aid, and the hero reflects on his childhood when he met her.
Relationships: Link & Mipha (Legend of Zelda), Link/Mipha (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 26





	A Memory of Water

A dusty wind pulled the bridge back and forth over the chasm. Link faced it uncertainly, before tightening his cloak against the impending storm, and stepping onto the old planks. It creaked under his weight, but the sound was muted from the wind. He continued on, carefully placing his feet to avoid cracks. He’d crossed that bridge before, weeks ago, on his way to the desert, and his mind wandered for a moment. He’d seen a massive horse grazing in those dry fields, and was curious to see if it were still there. Would it trample him if he tried to ride it, he wondered fondly.

A sudden gust lifted the bridge, and Link grasped the rope urgently. He took a step back to retreat, as a plank was torn away ahead of him, and his heel broke through the old wood like he’d hardly stepped on anything. He smacked his arms out to catch himself, but he only pulled more of the bridge away under his hands before falling through into open air and the abyss below.

~

From high on Rudania’s perch, Mipha felt him falling. A tightness in her chest, and a knowing that her love was about to die. She could see him. He was focused, determined, angry, then afraid.

And then nothing.

His body hit the rocks at the chasm’s floor with a sharp, wet noise that made Mipha ache. He settled on the ground, blood slowly dripping from his parted mouth, and did not move again. She set her hand on his chest, feeling the twisted bones below and the ebbing pain as his life slipped away.

_Not yet, Link._

Mipha coaxed him away from the darkness, with a gentle reassurance. He was not eager to go there, but he was so, so tired, and the warm shade of the afterlife was so appealing. But, like always, when she offered him her hand, he took it. She grasped at him, and held his bright spirit in her hands for just a moment, selfishly enjoying the fierce warmth, before returning it to its body. When the light faded behind his chest, Link lurched off the ground, coughing, and she stayed beside him for a while longer as he caught his breath.

_This isn’t the first time I’ve done this, you know...I wish you would be more careful...I can’t always come to you._

Her power was more fearsome than it had been in life, yet she felt more limited than ever. Waiting, but unable to support him with words or touch. Did he know she was there with him? Oh, how she wished she could tell him. She touched his cheek once more as he took in eager breaths, and his eyes shut at her touch. With a smile, she let go of her wanting, and lifted back into the air.

~

He woke groaning, his mouth dry and agape. A desert fox sniffing his boot took off with a nervous whimper as Link found the strength to sit himself upright. He looked up through the narrow crevice which he’d fallen through, and the dimming light above. Splinters of wood surrounded him in the dirt from the old bridge. How had he survived the fall? He rubbed his cheek and flinched at the aching bruise. When he licked the inside of his mouth, he felt a clean tear in his cheek. Just barley, he thought.

He leaned back against the wall and exhaled, his voice a dusty cloud. He did not feel alone, despite the abyssal solitude surrounding him. She was there, he could feel it. Or, she _had_ been, however briefly. That was how he’d survived, no doubt. Link rubbed his hands, but not a single scratch marred them, beyond the well-worn callouses of swordplay. He missed Mipha now that he remembered her. She was different to him. He hadn’t remembered their friendship until he’d gazed upon the statue, but once he remembered, he was ashamed he’d ever forgotten. She had been kind, and steadfast, and eager to help them in their doomed quest, and he’d known her even longer than the Princess. Since they were children. Upon waking, he’d been drawn to the river first, with a curious fondness after leaving Kakariko Village. The old traveler in him, the voices of his parents who trained him there as a child, they all told him to follow the water...

~

Link raced ahead, bare feet muffled on the sand of the riverbed. He ducked behind a rock, startling a group of crabs out of their hiding place so he could take it for his own. He wedged himself into a damp crevice, hiding in the water’s reflection on the underside of the rocks. When everything else stilled, he realized how loud his breathing was, and covered his mouth to silence himself. A smile peeked out from behind his fingers. She couldn’t find him there.

Almost instantly, lithe arms ducked into his hiding place and whisked him free, as if he’d been sitting in the open. He let out a shriek as he flew through the air, before he landed back in the cradle of a woman’s arms.

“You left footprints in the sand!” she said, giving him a tight squeeze. “If I were a lizalfos you would be my lunch!”

He gave a shriek and tried feebly to escape as the air was crushed from his lungs. “No I wouldn’!”

She gnawed on his shoulder and he cried out again from the tickles. Finally she set him down in the grass so he could catch his breath. “Next time stay on the grass, or wade into the water so you don’t leave a trail,” she explained, drawing her hand through the air to explain the proper path.

Link watched her eagerly, but found his eyes drifting to the scars on her tanned arms instead of where they gestured, following the line of her hips to where a large sword hung against her leg.

She caught him staring and dropped her arm. “What is it, little one?”

“When’ll you teach me?” he asked.

She gave a coy smile. “I _am_ teaching you.”

“But like Da’-”

Her face hardened a bit. “You don’t have to follow the same path as him, Link.”

“I want to!” he protested. “But he’s too busy...!”

She reached out and cupped his small, sunburnt cheek, taking his hand with her other. “You must learn to hide from the monsters, as well as face them.”

He meekly pulled himself from her grasp, unsatisfied with her answer.

“So eager for a child,” she said quietly, shaking her head. “Fine, then. When you can hide from me, I will teach you the sword. No sooner.”

His mouth fell open in a wordless protest. That was impossible!

“Will you try again?”

He shut his mouth and it tightened into a frown. “Mm’hm!”

She turned around. “Then go, I’ll give you a head start!”

He wanted to protest that he didn’t need it, but he found himself running hard through the grass instead. He chugged up the knoll and took the cliffside path leading toward Zora’s Domain. His mother knew the King and Queen well, and they didn’t mind them using the river to train and hunt. He hadn’t seen any guards that day. He skidded to a halt at the edge of the river, facing a damp log that connected the two beaches. With a prickle of alarm, he realized his mother would be done counting. He made his hands into fists and stepped onto the log. It held his weight easily, and he set his other foot on the bark. A smile broke his focused gaze as he made his way across. There was a group of trees on the other side. He could climb really well, and there was a thick group of branches he could use-

The water bobbed with a sudden rush of the current, and Link wobbled precariously. Water rushed around his ankles, and with it carried a fallen tree. It smacked into the makeshift bridge with a heavy shudder, and it came loose from the land. Link reeled with a short scream, before falling backwards into the frothing river. He was tossed through the water, smacking the bottom before finally coming up for air. He inhaled a mouthful of foam, and suddenly the river fell away under him to a wide waterfall. Link was pushed and held under the rushing current, his vision sparkling black and red, before his mind suddenly went blank.

His fear subsided, and he couldn’t remember where he was. Falling through the sky? The image of clouds steadied his mind, and the feeling of a warm breeze, and feathers under his hands... A strong grip pulled him from the water, and his head broke the surface with a dull pop.

“Breathe!” a voice commanded, and Link’s eyes snapped open. He coughed out lungfuls of water, flailing weakly to try and stay afloat. “I’ve got you!” the voice said, and he realized he was being carried, easily, through the water to shore.

He relaxed in their strong embrace and caught his breath. When they set him on the shore, he fell onto his shoulders weakly, shaking with each ragged breath.

“Are you all right?” the voice asked again, and finally a face came into his vision. A small red zora, with wide, fearful eyes stared down at him.

Link nodded shakily. “I think so...”

Her face softened with a pretty smile. “Good! I...I was so worried...”

Link sat up and when he tried to hold his head, his arm throbbed in protest. He held it by the elbow, frowning down at the odd angle it hung at.

“Oh, your arm...!” she said, scooting closer in the sand. “It’s broken...”

Link frowned down at it, moving his fingers with jerky twitches. “Yeah...” His mother would be angry.

The zora held out her hands- webbed and shimmering with crimson scales. Her palms were paler. “May I see it?”

Link offered her his arm, watching uncertainly as she gently took it. Her hands were cold and damp, like a fish, but softer. Slowly, a blue light bled from her fingers, and sunk into his skin. He felt the pain ebb away, and there came a dull snapping sound, painless despite the noise, and his arm popped back into place.

“There!” she said happily. “Try it now.”

Link slowly extended his arm and made a fist. “Wow!” he said, wiggling his fingers. “It’s not broken anymore! How did you do that?”

She smiled happily, though shyly. “I’m not sure. I can just do it sometimes.” Link wiped the dripping rivulets from his eyes. “I’m Link, who are you?” he asked.

Her face softened even more, and though she felt cold to the touch, Link felt himself warm up as he looked at her. She smiled. “My name is Mipha.”


End file.
